On the first day after checking in and settling into the room we went to San Marco square and grabbed a slice of pizza from a shop on the way! My first Italian slice and it for sure didn't disappoint. We had a look around San Marco square and sat in Giardinetti Reali Park as the weather was wonderful before making our way to the Campanile Tower which was definitely worth a visit and gave a great view of the city. We went for a drink at San Zacaria along the canal along from the square and grabbed an ice cream on the way back to the hotel before getting ready and heading to dinner. We went to dinner on the other side of the Rialto bridge, it was lovely walking over the Rialto at night despite how busy it was with tourist and the abundance of selfie sticks. For dinner I had sea bass in pesto pasta which was so yum and something I've recreated a couple times for my family since we've been home.
After a long sleep we woke up early got breakfast at the hotel before joining the queue for the Basilica Di San Marco which was long but moved fairly quickly. It was free to enter the main section but had to pay for different places. The view from the top was beautiful and probably if I returned the only bit I would pay for. Once we'd finished looking around we got the public boat across to San Giorgio before heading to Zattere for lunch. We walked around and end up at the Maria Della Sault, we didn't go in or anything. We then crossed the bridge over the Grand Canal (Ponte Dell' Accademia) before deciding the do the classic touristy thing of taking a ride on a gondola, something rather expensive however a must to do whilst in Venice. We stopped and had a couple of drinks in the sun before walking down to Arsenal for a 'spritz' at el refolo which for me was far too fruity but seems like something necessary to try. We decided on the way back to the hotel to pop into the Palazzo Ducale or Doge's Palace. That night we got pasta at Dal Moros which was super tasty and cheap! We wouldn't of found it if it wasn't for google maps and its not a place somewhere you could just stumble upon. We called it a night afterwards as it was quite an exhausting day and wanted to be up early again the next day.
We got up early for breakfast and asked at the hotel about heading to Murano which is famous for glass making. They in fact ran a tour from the hotel which included a free boat over to the island and a tour of the glass factory. You were pressured into buying something from the gift shop however it was easy enough to leave. We wandered around the island and stopped for a drink before heading to San Polo and got a slice of pizza from a little shop near Scuola Grande di San Rocco. We then stopped at Bacareto da Lele for some wine on the canal and after a few drinks headed to Gaudino Papadipoli for a lay in the sun. We then popped to the mall opposite and had a look around a couple of shops. We then went back to the rialto as we hadn't stopped there properly so wandered down for an over priced drink and under done chips. We'd booked a table for dinner the day before, for that night so went back to the hotel to get ready however ended up napping after a day of drinking and eating in the sun *exhausting, I know* we got ready and wandered down towards La Zucca where we'd booked the table however we were a little early so popped round the corner to il Refolo for a drink. The dinner at La Zucca was my favourite meal I think I've ever eaten! The restaurant was cosy and the staff were wonderful. The food was spectacular and even though we had to book in advance was well worth it and the top place I would recommend to anyone even thinking about visiting Venice.
We were leaving the next evening so we got up fairly early for breakfast and walked down to the rialto market which was great to see all the fish and produce being sold. We got breakfast afterwards and checked out of the room. For the rest of the day we stopped at various places for drinks starting at San Marco. We then went to a little place the other side of the rialto for 'Special Toast' which was pizza on ciabatta. It looked spectacular in the window however didn't taste as good as was one of the more expensive lunches we'd had before going back to Bacareto da Lele for more wine. Afterwards we walked to Harrys Bar as it was raved about in various guide books and online, however I can't quite understand why, it was dark and felt a bit dingy inside and the drinks were ridiculously expensive we decided not to stay for a drink. We grabbed a quick dinner near San Marco square which was quite tasteless and we are still pretty stuffed from lunch. We went back to the hotel grabbed our bags and headed to the airport.
The trip overall was wonderful and such a lovely short trip. I can't wait to explore more of Italy soon *hopefully*.
Bex xx
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